VTAILJEFF@aol.com wrote:

I think Shannon passed up two airports nearby to go to Dane County

The actual number of airports that were closer to the location of the engine failure than the chosen destination airport was in the double digits, not just two.  As I recall, the vertical profile was also very badly flown, but that MAY have been due to scattered clouds and wanting to stay in VMC.  I never saw the actual meteorological data for the accident afternoon so I do not know.

If there is any lesson we can learn from that death in the area of engine failures, it is to get the plane on the ground at the safest location, rather than at the most convenient one.  There is no doubt that it will be a real pain to fix the airplane at a no-name airport in the boonies with no services.  But that pain is nothing compared to the pain you will cause those that have to bury you and clean up the mess you created trying to land at a convenient location.

Use your superior judgment to avoid needing to call upon your superior flying skills.

Regards,

Hamid